What is a key feature of Other Specified Sleep-Wake Disorders?

The key feature of Other Specified Sleep-Wake Disorders is that symptoms cause distress or impairment without meeting the full criteria for any specific sleep disorder. This designation allows clinicians to recognize and diagnose sleep disturbances that do not fit neatly into the established categories defined in the DSM-5-TR but nonetheless have a significant impact on an individual's functioning or quality of life.

This option acknowledges that while the symptoms present may not fulfill the criteria for a specific diagnosis like insomnia or narcolepsy, they are still clinically significant and warrant attention. It is crucial because it highlights the therapeutic need to address the patient's difficulties, ensuring that even those who do not have a fully defined sleep disorder can receive appropriate care and support.

In contrast, the other choices involve conditions that have more specific criteria or characteristics associated with established sleep disorders that don’t apply in this context. For instance, fully met criteria for insomnia would indicate a defined disorder rather than a specified one, while clear identification of a sleep-wake disruption and the ease of observable symptoms in sleep studies suggest a more definable condition rather than a unique case that requires this other specified classification.